Witch Hunters
by Lexiconish
Summary: Merida & Hiccup have been hunting witches most of their lives. Sure, it's deadly, but it pays well and you get to travel the world. It's always been straightforward. What should have been an ordinary job on the island of Berk is going to change everything. For them, for the islands' viking inhabitants, and for the world, unless they can put a stop to it. No pressure, or anything.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Unknown**  
**Fandom: Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons  
Pairing(s): Hiccup/Jack, Rapunzel/Flynn, hints of Meripunzel and Merstrid.  
Summary:** Merida and Hiccup have been hunting witches most of their lives. Sure, it's deadly, but it pays well and you get to travel the world. But it's always been straightforward. Now, what should have been an ordinary job on the island of Berk is going to change everything. For them, for the islands' viking inhabitants, and for the world, unless they can put a stop to it. No pressure, or anything.  
**Author's Notes (AKA Babble): **So, uh, here it is. I'm sorry it's so short for a first chapter but it's literally been two years almost since I wrote something, and it used to be an integral part of me, but life's been really bad for a while now and I feel I've lost the ability to write. I won't go into detail, but this feels like an accomplishment at this stage. Now, oh geez, I know everyone is probably terribly out of character, I apologise, I'm so awful at this *heads towards rock to hide under-* Oh a few other things, before that, um, I can't write accents, so rather than butcher it, I left Merida's words as is. Please assign Scottish accent as necessary.  
There will be more. Much more. This thing is actually growing into a monster in my head. And Jack will be with us soon! As will Rapunzel and Flynn and everyone else. Oh and this hasn't been beta-d and my computer currently only has wordpad so any mistakes... yeah.  
Okay enough babble. *squeaks* Sorry! So sorry. Okay. Bye.

:{

Astrid heaved an exasperated sigh, surveying the arguing group before her with a grimace. Vikings were stubborn, and she wasn't any different, but there was a limit. Surely. Surely Snotlout wasn't this stupid, really.

"I'm saying we can handle it ourselves is all!" he snapped, "I mean, we fight dragons every other day, what difference are witches?"

"For the thousandth time!" Ruffnut cried, "You can't hack a spell with an axe! We can't fight witches without help. Astrid's with me, aren't you Astrid?"

She was, yes, it made sense. Maybe she wouldn't have been, a week ago, but they'd lost too many kids this month. They obviously needed to sort this out quickly. But on the other hand, Snotlout was technically in charge, not Astrid, and she wasn't sure he'd appreciate her siding against him. "Look, we're vikings. Of course we could handle this ourselves. The question is, could we do it as quickly as an expert? I mean, we've lost ten kids this month. We can't afford to delay on this. What do you think our parents are going to think when they come home from their campaign to find all the children are gone?"

Snotlout scowled. "We could do it."

"Before someone else gets taken? I'm not so sure. It'll be fine; we'll bring in some witch hunters, and deal with this swiftly. I'm sick of arguing about it Snot. We don't have time to waste here. Give me a ship, and I'll get the best hunters I can find."

:{

"Hey! Merida!" a scrawny youth whined as a taller red-haired girl held his notebook out of reach in one hand, an ale in the other.

"Come on Hiccup, we're here to relax, not work. And unless you were working on fixing that 'minor calibration error', you're going to put this away, and have a drink. All right?" the girl said cajolingly.

The other scowled. "I'm not sure I like your tone. It was _you_ who insisted on taking it out without letting me test it first."

She waved a hand dismissively. "Details, details. If you'd built it right in the first place- and we're not supposed to be discussing this now! Here, drink!" With this she shoved the ale into the boy's hands and tucked the notebook into her satchel.

Hiccup dutifully took a swig of the drink. "Seriously though Mer, you nearly died today."

"I know," her expression sobered, "and don't think I wasn't scared. You know I was. We'll be more careful next time."

Hiccup frowned. "Does there have to _be_ a next time?"

Merida ran a hand through her wild curls, hissing when her fingers caught in a knot. "We're doing a good thing Hiccup. And we need the money - and we're not merchants, and there's not many well-paid jobs you can do on the move. We've had this argument before. Let's just drop it and try and relax for _one night_. Stop moping!" Here she punched him lightly on the arm and turned to her own drink, crossing her legs on the table and leaning back in her chair.

"Don't blame me when that chair falls over then," Hiccup teased, nudging it with his boot and causing his companion to yelp.

Merida and Hiccup had known each other since they were kids. They were practically family; heck, most people thought they were, and they called each other siblings. Since Hiccup was seven and Merida eight, they'd looked out for each other and teased each other and fought each other. There was nobody they trusted or cared for more than one another, and now that he was almost sixteen, Hiccup was sure he wouldn't ever be able to leave his 'big sister'.

They sat now in a rowdy tavern nursing their cuts and bruises, trying not to think about how close they'd come to death, again. Since they were children, there was one other thing the two had done together; hunt. Witches were a plague of their world, among other wicked creatures that roamed the darkness and the edges of childrens' nightmares. Merida and Hiccup had rather stumbled upon their job as witch hunters a long time ago, and had spent their lives perfecting the work.

Hiccup invented the weapons. He had a mind for it, and his creations baffled others, whilst performing beautifully in the field. Usually he and Merida tested them before taking them into a real fight, but occasionally Merida got ahead of herself, too excited and, though she wouldn't admit it, impressed by her brother's work. Merida was more physical, spending her time mastering the sword and bow - which was not to say Hiccup didn't do any fighting. He just preferred smaller, lighter weapons, like a dagger, or to use his inventions which would do the heavy lifting for him. He wasn't a big, strong boy; though he had a ravenous appetite, he remained skinny as ever. "Talking fishbone", Merida had nicknamed him.

Sometimes Merida would offer useful insights into his designs too, pointing out where something would hinder her more than help, or even when something was just not feasible. They made an ideal team, and they were rather well known throughout the world, having travelled just about everywhere.

And this was why Astrid Hofferson had come to this tavern this night, having heard many tales of the witch hunter siblings which, upon seeing the two, she felt might be rather exaggerated. The girl, she could probably believe was capable; Astrid herself was the best fighter her age back on Berk. But the boy? Not a chance.

"Are you _sure_ they're _the_ hunter siblings?" she asked the barman.

"They don't look like much," he agreed, "but yes. They've drinks on the house all night, as payment - and the girl's making the most of it too," he added somewhat bitterly.

Shrugging, Astrid adjusted her cloak, feeling rather warm underneath it despite the chill in the air. Berk was much colder than this town, and she was almost too hot here, but the travelling cloak drew less attention. Taking her own drink, she cautiously approached the duo at their table, and waited to be acknowledged.

"Can we help you?" Merida said sharply, eyeing her up and down and looking unimpressed. Hiccup on the other hand looked a little awed.

"Just to confirm," Astrid got straight to the point, "you two are witch hunters, correct? The best?"

"That'd be us," Merida boasted, "you looking to hire? We just finished a job here. Might have to give us some time to breathe."

Hiccup pouted. "I'm sure we could manage. You, you are looking to hire us, right?"

Astrid sat down at their table. "I'm Astrid Hofferson and I'm here on behalf of my village. This is out of the norm for us. We don't require assistance. I wouldn't be here, except, well." She sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Look, we're used to fighting. We're good at it - we're vikings for Odin's sake. But our enemies are usually a lot more physical. Witches have bodies, but good luck getting past their spells to strike them. Not that we couldn't do it ourselves, you understand, but there's been too many losses to delay."

"How many losses?" Hiccup questioned.

"Ten children in the past month. We can't let any more be taken."

Their eyes widened. "_Ten_ kids?" Merida repeated, "That seems a bit... excessive." Hiccup nodded. "Well I guess we could help out but... there's the matter of payment, of course."

"Naturally. What do you charge?"

A smirk graced the redheads' features for a fleeting moment before she hastily composed herself. "We-e-ell," she drawled, "that always depends on location, difficulty of the job, how much we got from our last job, compensation in case one of us dies - most likely Hiccup."

"Obviously," Astrid interjected. "Just give me an estimate."

"I'll need details of the job," Hiccup said, sneaking his notebook from Merida's satchel. "So we can work it out."

"For example," Merida said, "you said ten children had been taken in only a month. How many witches _are_ there?"

"Only three that we know of - but maybe there are more, they all look the same to us, especially since they've been coming on nights when there is a storm. Makes it pretty hard to see them. I guess they're smarter than stories make them seem. They've been coming for about two months, but they only started taking children in the last few weeks. It's like they were... scouting us, before that."

Merida and Hiccup exchanged a look before the former spoke. "Okay, that's kind of unusual behaviour. Ten children already, and _vikings_ couldn't stop them, so I'm going to say this is going to be a tricky one. That raises the price. Now let me think... where exactly is your village? Travel costs need to be accounted for."

"I'll cover your travel. My ship is fully stocked."

"Whoa, ship?" the siblings cried in unison.

Astrid gave a one-shoulder shrug. "Yeah, why? Is that a problem? Berk is an island."

"Oh."

"Not so great."

"We don't usually _do_ islands... or, anywhere off the mainland, really," Merida explained. "Thing is uh." The two looked embarrassed.

"We... we can't swim," Hiccup admitted.

"And we don't like water. Bad experiences." They shuddered.

"Well I'm not askin' you to _swim_ to Berk - you'll be perfectly safe, I assure you. Will you come? Because we'd rather not go looking for other hunters at this stage."

Merida sighed, snatched Hiccup's notebook and pencil from his lax grip, and scribbled a number on a blank page, pushing it across the table to Astrid. "I estimate this."

Astrid glared at her. "Are you crazy? No one would pay this much!"

"Look missy, you're asking us to go out of our way, on a life-threatening mission, to save people we have no connection to, and life costs money! Now do you want us or not?"

Astrid gaped at her. "We don't have this kind of money."

Hiccup frowned, tugging the notebook towards him. "Merida," he growled, "this is ridiculous." Turning to Astrid he offered a smile. "Relax, she's just trying to get as much money out of you as she can. We'll do it for half this price, on the condition that your village provides us with free food and lodging-."

"Hiccup!" Merida protested.

"-and if any additional expenses arise, we'll talk about it then."

Astrid dipped her chin to her chest, considering. "That sounds fair enough. So we have an agreement?"

Merida huffed, crossing her arms. "It seems we do."

"Great. Then I haven't any more time to delay. It took two weeks to find the two of you, who knows what damage has been done in that time. Meet at the docks at first light, you'll spot my ship easily enough." With this, she swept away from the table, leaving her half-empty tankard behind her. Merida swiped it and finished it off.

"First light?" she complained, "Ugh. Fine. There better be room on that ship for our supplies - and you better fix that contraption."

"I really think it's kind of a failed experiment," Hiccup muttered.

"Aw, did my words really get to ya? Don't give up on it on account of me Hiccup, I'm only teasing. And speaking of, you know you can't give a discount to every pretty face, right?" she joked, elbowing him a tad harder than he would've liked.

"Wha-? It-! It wasn't about _that_," he stammered, "It's the kids, Merida! How many kids do you think one island village has? Ten is a huge number. And you know that's why we do it."

"I know, I know." She laughed. "I'm only messing with you. But seriously, we didn't get much money from this last job. It'd have been nice to get a bonus outta this one."

"Merida," he said sternly, "food and drink, on the house for the whole night. I know exactly how much you can put away."

She scoffed, feigning offence. "Ladies do not overeat!" she mocked, before bursting into giggles.

"Come on. If we're getting up that early, we should get some sleep. Finish your meal and don't stay here too long."

"I'm still annoyed about the boat thing. You know I hate water."

"A little water won't hurt us," he replied, waving a hand and getting to his feet.

"A little...? Hiccup, it's the ocean!" she wailed, "That's not a little water, that's... that's a lot of water!" She scowled at Hiccup's obvious grin. "Stop laughing."

"I'm not!" Scooping up his notebook, he began heading for the door. "Don't be out late Mer. I mean it."

"I'll be at the inn soon. Get going, lightweight."

He rolled his eyes, and left her to her drink.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Working on it/Witch Hunters  
**Fandom: Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons  
Pairing(s): Hiccup/Jack, Rapunzel/Flynn, hints of Meripunzel and Merstrid.  
Summary:** Merida and Hiccup have been hunting witches most of their lives. Sure, it's deadly, but it pays well and you get to travel the world. But it's always been straightforward. Now, what should have been an ordinary job on the island of Berk is going to change everything. For them, for the islands' viking inhabitants, and for the world, unless they can put a stop to it. No pressure, or anything.  
**Author's Briefer Notes: **In case I fail to make it apparent throughout the story, a little background here: the events of Rise of the Guardians _have_ taken place already at this stage. However, instead of taking place in the modern world, it took place in an historic setting. Jack still met Jamie. The catch is, he did not recover his memories. This will be touched on eventually. If that's clear, the rest should resolve itself. Okay? Okay.

:{Chapter Two}:

When Jack Frost (spirit of winter, Guardian of Fun, top of the naughty list every year, etcetera, etcetera) spotted the enchanting aurora of light in the night sky, he could have wept for joy. A distraction this big was precisely what he needed right now.

The aurora borealis was a magnificent, unexplainable sight to the humans, but to a Guardian, it was a signal. It indicated that something big was happening, and directed them to gather at the point of origin - almost without exception, the home of North, better known to humanity as 'Santa Claus'. This was no exception, Jack noted, calling to the wind to aid him in swift travel.

It wasn't as though he'd been busy, and it'd been two years since he last saw his friend/mentor/really-father-figure-but-no-way-was- Jack-admitting-it. A small smile appeared, completing his persona, and he shot into the air, crook clasped tightly in his fist.

North's home was enormous. Jack would never cease to be in awe of the endless rooms filled with marvels he couldn't have dreamed up in a million years. But then, North was the Guardian of Wonder. It was his job to instill it in others. And even though last they'd spoken Jack had argued with North a little, to his embarassment, he was excited to see him today. So he was a little disappointed when he was the first to arrive in an empty (sans elves) Globe Room.

Sighing, Jack settled cross-legged on the control desk, careful not to nudge any buttons or levers. He was not a patient boy, and was usually last to arrive at these meetings just to avoid having to wait around like this.

Sandy was next to arrive, a stout figure with a warm smile and no voice. They nodded to one another politely; Sandy was one of the few Guardians Jack saw on occasion, his gift of dreams a personal delight to him. Before the silence could get awkward, a chattery Toothiana darted in, surrounded by tooth fairies she was giving rapid orders to. Upon spotting Jack she flitted over to him and promptly jammed her fingers into his mouth, tugging it open to examine his teeth, and praising how clean and white they were.

When she moved back to a more acceptable distance, Jack resisted the urge to tell her his teeth weren't likely to change, given nothing else about him had in three-hundred-and-twenty-five years. Instead he gave her an amused look and asked if she knew what this was about.

"No idea - North called, here I am - oh," she whizzed up into the air, directing her fairies again, "lateral incisors in Vienna, go, go!"

"Well I see we're all here," a deep Australian accent broke in, and they turned to greet the Easter Bunny, Aster. "How's it going mates?" He paused, then deliberately added, "And Jack?"

"Oh, nice. I thought we were over all this hostility Bunny!" Jack joked, catching the brief smile on the others' furry face. "Yeah and I saw that smile."

"Are you all right? Think you're seein' things."

"Is everyone here?" North's Russian tones boomed ahead of the man himself. No one could hold back their interest in his serious expression. "Good. We have work."

"So we're cutting straight to the chase then?" Tooth asked. "What seems to be the trouble North?"

North's expression was stern. "Perhaps nothing. But we cannot take chance. There is rumour that Pitch is back again."

"What?" they shouted.

"But we defeated him - he vanished, taken by his own Nightmares," Bunny babbled. "He can't just be _back_."

"Yeah I mean... it took him _centuries_ to make a comeback before," Jack pointed out, "what makes anyone think he's back?"

"Unusual monster activity" North began, striding towards Jack and plucking him easily from the control panel, "is making us wary. There are more 'incidents'," he said, making air quotation marks, "surrounding children than ever before. Very organised they are. Not usual for monsters - they are only wanting to eat, normally."

Sandy frowned, images appearing above his head constructed from sand far too quickly for most of them to interpret, but North got the message. "Yes Sandy, other legendary figures think it might be Pitch."

"So monsters start acting wonky, and idiots like the groundhog and the leprechaun immediately assume it's _Pitch_?" Bunny objected, "That seems a bit far-fetched mate."

"What monsters are we even talking about?" Jack asked. "I've been around here three hundred years, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really, Jack?" Tooth sounded surprised. "You've never seen witches?" He shook his head. "Werewolves?" Shake. "Vampires, ghouls, trolls?"

"Nope."

"Are you _blind?_"

"Bunny!"

"What? They're like an infestation, you'd have to be completely oblivious not to know about them!"

Jack shrugged. "I've heard stories. And I know they have witch trials and executions - but whatever humans seem to think, I don't really consider that sort of thing _fun_. So I kind of stayed clear."

"Even so, three hundred years and nothing?"

"I've been distracted, okay? So," he hurried to change the subject, "they're all real, then?"

"Most of them, yes," North replied. "But they're like animals, Jack. They are dangerous, but they only want to survive. Is not bad thing. Normally."

"If they're becoming 'organised'," Tooth carried on, "then they'll exceed their purpose." Seeing blank looks all around she rolled her eyes and elaborated. "They'll eat more than they should, and wipe out humanity. And if Pitch _is_ involved, it's even worse, because he must have some plan. And Pitch is our responsibility."

"So... what do we do?"

"You, Jack," North said, concealing his smirk.

"Me?"

"Right now, this is only suspicion. Is not definite. We," he gestured to the rest of the Guardians, "have jobs we cannot cease for just anything. You, on the other hand, while no less important..." he trailed off.

Jack gave them all a flat look. "You think I can just stop working?"

"Working!" Bunny laughed. "I think the whole point of your centre is that you _don't_ work Jack," he teased.

"Yeah, yeah. So what am I supposed to do?"

"There is island," North told them, fiddling with the controls and spinning the globe around, directing their gaze to a small cluster of rocks. "That is Berk, and witches are behaving strangely there. We think this is good place to investigate." He grinned. "Like spy, Jack. You will look for evidence of Pitch's involvement, then report back. We will make next move based on your information."

"Berk, huh? I don't think I've ever been there."

North chuckled. "It's funny, see, because Berk is always having winter."

Jack brightened. "Oh yeah?"

"So if you knew you were going to send the kid," Bunny interjected, "why did you call all of us here?"

"It is important we all be on guard," North answered, "to be watching for Pitch and these... odd creatures. We do not know when or where they will strike."

:{

Jack knew he should probably leave as soon as possible, but he hung back, waiting to speak to North alone. He wanted to talk about their argument last time they spoke - he wanted to apologise for being rude to his friend but also, he guessed, to ask for some comfort, some consolation - hoped North could provide some.

"Jack, you are still here!" North exclaimed, seeing him by his office door. His smile fell at Jack's expression. "What is matter?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what Jack?"

"Last time we spoke..."

_"Jack, in all my time as Guardian, there is one thing I have never seen... a child, who did not one day stop believing."_

_"Well what do you know? Jamie _saw_ us! He won't stop believing. He's different. And he's my friend. I'm not going to ditch him!"_

North shook his head, resting a gentle (if heavy) hand on Jack's shoulder. "You were upset Jack. It is understandable. You do not need to apologise."

"Maybe. But I want to," he admitted, shuffling awkwardly.

"Then I accept." He waited for Jack to move, but Jack just stood, biting his lip. "There is something else?"

The frost spirit winced, beginning to pace. "Yeah. Yes. It. It happened. You were right."

"What happened?"

"Jamie. He stopped believing." He swallowed, blinking back tears. "I went to visit him a week ago and... he walked right through me. It's the only time I ever feel the cold, North. When people pass through me. I never thought... I mean I really believed he wouldn't forget us."

"He is... fifteen, now?" North confirmed. "He has held strong much longer than most. I think he must have tried, Jack."

"But how? How could he stop believing in me if, if I was always stopping by? I mean... how does that happen?"

Unexpectedly, North swept Jack into a bone-crushing hug. "I don't know Jack. We don't know why they stop believing in us. It can be very hard. Jamie is your first believer. He will always have a special place for you. But we make sacrifice to protect them. We must learn to let them come and go from our lives."

"It's not fair," he cried, voice muffled in North's red shirt.

"It is not. I am sorry Jack. Very sorry."

He sniffed. "It's okay. I'll be fine." Neither of them looked convinced.

"Oh Jack!" North shouted as the boy moved away. "One more thing about Berk! Be careful. Is dangerous place. Very nasty creatures live there, cause many problems, much destruction. They will be able to see you too, like all animals. My advice is steer as clear from them as you can."

Jack frowned, wondering what could have North looking so anxious, considering he was going to be facing witches. "What creatures?" he asked.

North grimaced. "Dragons."

:{

Hiccup faced the back wall of a familiar dingy cell. He'd been here before, but he couldn't for the life of him remember when. At least he wasn't alone. A girl about his age with hair as bright orange as fire sat whimpering in the corner. They hadn't spoken, but Hiccup had heard her talking to the other girl who'd been with them.

The other girl was gone now. Hiccup preferred not to recollect how, exactly, she'd met her demise. He didn't want to think about his probable future.

But his mummy and daddy loved him a lot - they were always telling him so. Surely they'd be here soon, come to rescue him. He clung to this hope, even as it dimmed with every passing day.

The red-haired girl was sobbing quietly now. There were loud noises coming from outside, and the little shack they were in shook sometimes, the bars of their cell rattling with the vibrations. The girl had been really tough so far, she hadn't cried until the storm started. Hiccup guessed she didn't like storms, but he himself was rather used to them. The girl sniffed again and Hiccup dared to break the ice.

"The storm can't hurt us you know," he said, "not when we're in here." He was much more worried about the hideous hag keeping them captive, really.

She looked up, startled by his voice. Wiping her rosy cheeks, she whispered, "I know. But I don't like them."

Hiccup shrugged, shuffling closer to her. "I'm Hiccup. What're you called?"

"Mer... Merida."

"You got a mum and dad?"

"Mm-hm."

"And they love you, huh?"

"Yeah."

"They'll be coming for you then. Don't worry. And if my parents come first, we'll take you home." He grinned crookedly at her, and was pleased to see a small smile returned.

"But what if they're too late?" she asked anxiously, swiping at the tear tracks on her face. "Lucy is..." her voice shook, "she got _eaten_."

Hiccup bit his lip, thinking this over. It had occured to him before, of course, but he had been sure his parents would be quick. But now it had been over a week. "Then... we will just have to escape ourselves."

Suddenly, Hiccup was standing with Merida on a rickety little rowboat, just off the coast of a towering island. The boat was being shaken by the increasingly violent waves, and Merida was yelling at him over the wind. Hiccup couldn't make out what she was saying, but he noticed she was rowing them _away_ from the island, and that seemed to be the wrong thing to do.

"Merida? Where are you going?" he shouted.

She frowned at him, stopped rowing and pushed him back down onto the floor of the boat. "Don't get up," she told him, grabbing the oars again.

Hiccup peered back at the island, brows furrowing when he noticed it seemed to be burning. Well, now Merida's actions made a little more sense. But...

"How did we get here?"

"What?!"

"HOW DID WE GET HERE?"

She froze. "Don't you remember?"

A wave washed over the side, soaking them both. Merida pushed her mass of hair out of her eyes, staring at him with something like horror. Hiccup strained to remember. They'd been in the cell with the witch and... he thought he might've picked a lock with a nail... there's the smell of something awful burning... but then he can't think. He rubs his head and flinches, pulling his hand in front of his face and seeing dark red-brown staining his fingers. "What happened...?"

But the waves were getting worse, and there wasn't time to talk. Merida snatched one of the oars and pushed it into his hands. "Help, c'mon we gotta move! There's an island over there," she pointed to a tower of rocks, not much of an island. "We can shelter there, and I'll explain then."

A piercing sound broke through the night, and the two looked up. Too late; a monstrous creature hovered in the air above them, red and spiny, so many teeth, and all over aflame. Hiccup screamed as the monster bore down on their little vessel, that piercing sound somewhere in the distance, accompanied by horrified screams from the island inhabitants. Hiccup glanced back for a moment, spotting a blinding purple-white ball of light shooting from somewhere in the sky, colliding with a building that immediately erupted in flame.

Merida's cries drew his gaze; the monster's great maw had opened, and it had pinned Merida to the side of the boat. "MERIDA!"

The boat couldn't take the extra weight, and the three were tossed into the water as it flipped. Waves crashed over his head, Hiccup couldn't break the surface. The creature took to the sky, abandoning them to the sea. Water filled his lungs; he couldn't breathe, he couldn't see Merida, he was sinking, drowing...

Hiccup shot upright, gasping for air, body covered in sweat. It took him a moment to realise where he was; on another boat, bigger, safer. The rocking was gentle. Merida sat in the bed across from him, eyeing him with concern.

"Nightmares again, Hiccup?"

He sighed. "Just once, I'd like to get a decent night's sleep. How about you? Sleep well?"

She nodded, offering him a weak smile. "Yeah, I'm good. What was it this time?"

"Ugh," he groaned, head in his hands. "Do I have to talk about it?" Merida's silence was answer enough. "It was on the boat, near that island we thought was my home?" She nodded. "Yeah. And this beast came and... and I couldn't remember anything. And we fell into the water and I was drowning."

"Memories, then."

"Yeah."

"Do you want me to tell you what really happened, again? That seemed to help last time."

"Please."

"You came up with a plan to escape from the witch. We made sure she'd eat me first, drove her crazy with my chatter. Then when she took me from the cell, you picked the lock behind her back. We waited until she was bent over the fire, and then we snuck up on her and shoved her in. She burnt. After that we decided we'd stick together to find our homes. You said you came from an island village, and it couldn't be far, right? So we worked on building a boat; used things from the witch's cottage to cut down trees. You were always good with your hands. Then we took to the sea, and we started looking. And then you thought you saw your home; but there was a storm, and you fell into the water. I got you out, but you'd hit your head. The storm kept going, and we thought we could smell smoke coming from the island. Saw fires burning, and the storm was only getting worse, so we tried to get away. The storm capsized our boat though, and we drifted. We wound up a long way away with no boat and no idea where we were... and you..."

"I couldn't remember anything before that - I could barely remember bits and pieces from the witch's cottage. It's lucky I remembered you."

"Exactly."

Hiccup sighed again, running his hands through his hair. "And here we are. Hunting witches."

Merida clambered from her boat, stumbling a little, unsteady on the sea, and flopped onto the bed beside him. She wrapped one arm around his shoulders. "We're okay though, huh. We've got each other. You know I always wanted siblings. A little brother or sister. And I got you - and I guess you'll do," she joked.

Hiccup snorted. "How'd I get stuck with you?"

Merida shrugged. "You love me, you know you do."

A knock at the door interrupted their bonding. "Berk is in sight. We'll be there within an hour - get ready to depart."

The red-head grimaced. "Eugh, you're sweaty!" She wiped her arm on the blankets. "Get dressed - and you know the rules, don't you peek at me!"

"Ew, you're like my sister Merida!"

"Don't mean you haven't tried to see somethin'."

Hiccup shuddered. "You are so gross. I'm going to wash up. Call me when you're done getting changed."

"Sir yessir!"

:{

Berk was covered in snow. Jack smiled; this was his kind of place. Apart from the dragons, apparently, but Jack was even excited about that. After all - dragons. Come on.

Drifting easily down, he alighted on the roof of a slightly charred house and watched the people going about their business. Everyone here was really... buff. Like, huge. Even the women. Jack arched a brow; even the kids looked a bit broad shouldered. Kind of weird, but whatever.

The village was kind of on a slope, and down lower he could see the docks. Actually, he could see a ship unloading down there now. Curious, he wandered down the (rather well built) wooden walkway, and stopped, standing off to the side of the vikings who were helping unload the ship.

Two figures stood out to him. Very unviking-like. One was a red-haired girl, pulling a heavy cart locked cart behind her, a bow and arrows slung over her shoulder, with clear blue eyes. Beside her, slightly shorter, was a scrawny slip of a boy, with aurburn hair and inquisitive forest-green eyes and oh-so-many freckles. Jack was definitely intrigued; despite his stature, Jack thought the boy was kind of... pretty. Which, he wouldn't normally say about boys, but this one was. And cute. Like a kitten is cute.

Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the normal-looking vikings. One woman seemed to be in charge; she too was thinner than most viking teens, but her attitude and aura of control more than made up for it. "Ruff, Tuff!" she yelled to two very, very similar looking teens. "You handle this here. I'll be taking our new guests to Snotlout to get things sorted out." They saluted mockingly and ran onto the ship, already barking orders with some delight. The woman turned to the two strange looking people, and gestured ahead of her.

"Need some help there Merida?" the boy asked the red-head and Jack's lips tugged into an involuntary smile at his somewhat nasal voice. It was... yeah, it was cute too.

"You offerin' Hiccup? Cause we both know I'm stronger than you." The red head smirked, and Jack was kind of amused by her thick accent. He hadn't heard anything like it before.

"Ouch. You wound me Merida. Truly." He turned his gaze to the blonde viking. "So who's Snotlout?"

"He's the chief's nephew," she answered. "And, technically, my betrothed." She scowled. "Normally there are more adults around her, but they've been away on campaign for a few months now. They left Snot in charge because he's next in line - there are other adults left here to make sure he doesn't screw up, of course. But he basically calls the shots now."

"The chief's nephew is next in line?" 'Hiccup' asked, frowning.

"Well, yeah. I mean, apparently Stoick had a kid once, but he disappeared _ages_ ago, and no one can even remember his name, 'cause Stoick won't talk about him. Ever. It's sort of taboo. So now Snot's gonna be chief, which is... great. Still, he knows not to cross me, so really, _I'll_ be in charge."

"Cool," Hiccup grinned, and Merida rolled her eyes. "I mean, not that you're having to marry some idiot, I mean the... leader thing."

"Uh-huh. Come on - this is his house up ahead... or, wait, do you want to drop your erm, equipment off at your lodgings first?"

Merida huffed, tugging the cart behind her up the hill. "Oh, we are definitely dumping this first Astrid. Lead the way."

"You got a lot of weapons... can you really use them all?" Astrid sounded doubtful. She still wasn't sure these people could help.

Jack looked on from behind the houses - he didn't need to hide, of course, no one could see him, but spending time with Jaime, he'd gotten a little used to it. So Jaime wouldn't look crazy, getting distracted in public all the time by some invisible figure. It was a habit he hadn't quite broken yet.

"Of course we can," Hiccup bragged, "I designed them."

"An' half of 'em don't work," Merida teased.

"Oh, again with the wounding. You are cruel, Mer."

"I try."

Jack frowned. What were these strangers doing on Berk? What did 'Astrid' need with the weapon-toting duo? Maybe he should keep an eye on them too. Might be useful. North would be interested.

It had nothing to do with how adorable this Hiccup guy was.

Nothing at all.

:{

_PS: I'm super anxious about (the whole thing) Jack and the Guardians... I'm Australian, but I do not speak the way Bunny does. All the Aussie cliches he uses? Not in my vocabulary... he is surprisingly hard to write as a result. And hey, please do review - I would love to get a little feedback._


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: Witch Hunters  
****Fandom: Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons  
Pairing(s): Hiccup/Jack, Rapunzel/Flynn, hints of Meripunzel and Merstrid.  
Summary:** Merida and Hiccup have been hunting witches most of their lives. Sure, it's deadly, but it pays well and you get to travel the world. But it's always been straightforward. Now, what should have been an ordinary job on the island of Berk is going to change everything. For them, for the islands' viking inhabitants, and for the world, unless they can put a stop to it. No pressure, or anything.  
_Author's Notes: I'm laughing because this chapter... Gothel went on a hunting trip. And she hasn't been home in a few days. *snorts* I don't know if anyone else will get that reference..._

:{Chapter Three}:

Astrid slumped forward in her seat, trying not to groan. After the hunters had stored their belongings away in a spare room in her house, they'd followed her to Snotlout's home. He lived in his parent's basement now, but while both were away fighting, he took advantage of the whole space.

And then they'd all sat down at a table together; Astrid, Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff, Fishlegs, Hiccup and Merida. They'd discussed prices again, but Merida couldn't be budged. She'd made her final offer. Snotlout was pretty pissed about that, which was about the only reasonable thing he'd been upset over, because it was true their parents weren't going to like spending that much on something they'd see as unnecessary. Which Snotlout had pointed out, leading them all to debate the pros and cons of using hunters _again_.

"This is about efficiency, Snotlout," Astrid had finally broke in. "We can't do it faster than these people. Do you want any more kids to go? Like Gustav?" She knew Snotlout had a secret soft spot for that particular boy.

In the end, though reluctantly, Snotlout had agreed to the hunters terms, and the two had left. Astrid noted Hiccup had been pretty much silent, and figured Merida generally handled things, which made her wonder what use Hiccup actually _was_. Did he only make the weapons? Was a good tracker?

"I feel like we're being cheated here somehow. Did you _see_ how much that girl ate just sitting here talking?" Snotlout grumbled. "_I_ was impressed." He narrowed his eyes. "You sure they're the best, anyway? I mean... they're both practically twigs."

Astrid shrugged, lifting her head from the table. "I don't know. Ask Fishlegs. He was the one who recommended them."

All eyes turned to a rotund blonde boy in the corner, who had until now been pouring over a book in his lap. Looking up at the mention of his name, his eyes lit with enthusiasm. "They're _definitely_ the best in the business. They are smaller than I imagined them, but," he huffed a small laugh, "they have been doing it since they were kids. Anyone with a brain would suggest them, and they're not easy to get ahold of either, so we were lucky. They're always on the move. There are all kinds of rumours about them too, like that they're siblings but," he puffed out his chest, "any _real_ fan knows they're not."

Astrid frowned. "They aren't?" She'd actually kind of believed that. "Then what are they?"

Fishlegs grinned. "Friends? Lovers? Some people think they even secretly hate each other, but they're dependent. Anyone could see that's not true though." Nodding decisively, he added, "I personally think lovers, but that's something I'll be investigating, along with asking plenty of questions about the process of witch hunting, and differing witch classifications. Did you know there are supposed to be different, like, _breeds_ of witches? There's no such thing as white magic, of course, that's a joke, but there's this one kind, that only lives in water, swamps and marshes and stuff, and they have these gills and-,"

"Okay, we get it, shut up." Snotlout scowled. "I just wanted to know if we were wasting our time here."

"Don't let them catch on to your huge crush either," Tuffnut snorted, "they'll probably ditch town."

"I'm an enthusiast!" Fishlegs protested.

"You're a what?" Ruffnut asked, frowning. "That sounds like a disease." Her brother leaned away from the other boy, eyeing him suspiciously.

"It's not, it just means I'm particularly up to date on who they are and what they do, and also on the things they hunt, which aren't limited to witches, by the way, though I don't think they have ever handled dragons... do you think we should mention that to them?"

Astrid smirked. "Nah. If we get a dragon attack, I wanna see how they handle a surprise. Let 'em show their stuff."

"Good idea," Ruffnut matched her expression. "I happen to _love_ surprises."

:{

"I'm gonna need more than my bow Hiccup," Merida pointed out, hands on hips as Hiccup rifled through their weapons arsenal.

"No you won't," he grit out around a knife between his teeth, both hands busy assembling a peculiar contraption around his left wrist. "We're only scouting out the area, so it's a safety precaution only. Besides that, we want to try and be a little inconspicuous. Your bow is fine. But if you insist," he handed her the knife, rolling his eyes when she wiped his saliva off on his sleeve.

"What about you, what're you taking?"

Hiccup held up his wrist proudly.

"What the hell is that?"

"I... don't really give these things names... uh. It's a projectile blade wrist band mechanism... thing."

"Mm, that'll catch on nicely."

"Shut up. It works, which is the main thing. I've tested it. Look, these blades are fixed around the wrist, and once one has been fired off - using this switch, there's a spring attached, and the switch is on the bottom here, so I can press it easily and aim... so once one has been fired, the next one moves along to replace it at the top. It's got a limited load, and it's a little... bulky... bit it's effective."

"As long as it works, like I've said before genius, you don't need to explain it to me. So you've only got that?"

"And this dagger," he tugged a long thick blade from his belt. "Remember. We're _just scouting the area_. Don't draw any unnecessary attention. We'll split up, cover more ground. I want us to know the forest reasonably well before we fight anything in there."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Merida teased, giving a mocking salute. "I'll head to the east, so you can go north first, yes? Meet back here at sundown. Mark your trail - that one time you forgot to, we got lost for nearly two days, dummy."

"Will you drop that? It was six years ago! I was _nine_!"

Laughing, Merida and her fiery hair disappeared into the thick trees, her footfalls careful, and soon Hiccup could no longer hear her either. Sighing, he drew a cloth over the cart of weapons and dragged it behind a hut, between the wall and a bush, then tightened his wrist contraption, trekking into the darker forest.

It was still fairly early in the day, else Merida and Hiccup would have waited until the following day. Witches owned the territory at night, and it was folly to fight them when they had the clear advantage.

What they were looking for were signs of witch activity. Witches could be tricky, but often they were not terribly careful about leaving behind evidence. Hiccup did not doubt that witches were coming to Berk - no one would be paying them what they asked otherwise. But finding witches when they did not want to be found was tougher. And from the discussion with stand-in-chief Snotlout and his companions, they knew these particular witches were behaving unusually organized.

Witches, like any living being, wanted to survive. And it so happened that witches eat children, among other delicacies. If they didn't eat the children, they used the children in their practices, or very, very occasionally, enslaved them. Hiccup didn't really fault them for that, humans ate other animals too. Human children - sometimes adults - were the prey of witches. And hunters were a witch's predator. There was a balance to it; witches took some children, hunters took some witches, but neither were ever going to eliminate the other entirely.

But when witches started behaving like this... it could upset that balance quickly. Hiccup and Merida had become hunters to protect children, in hopes that they could spare as many as possible the fate they had almost been dealt. So protect children they did, and witches would get what they deserved.

Children don't just go wandering into witch houses willingly, of course. Especially if they know that witches are about, taking their friends. If feeling particularly bold, naturally a witch could simply sweep in and snatch a child. Hiccup got the feeling they wouldn't be that bold in a viking village, where even the children were armed well. So they would have to lure the children away instead.

There were lots of ways to do that, and a good deal of them could be nearly undetectable, while others were obvious. Candy was, in fact, a favourite method of drawing children out. That left crumbs, wrappers, little hints behind. But Hiccup wasn't seeing anything so blatant in this forest.

As he hiked up a fairly steep slope, he began to sense someone was watching him. Following him. They were soft-footed, didn't speak... but clearly inexperienced at stalking prey, for they were not keeping a safe distance, instead quite close behind, and if they did break a twig, it didn't seem to bother them. They just carried on at the same pace. If it were one of the witches, it might be worth trying to snare it, Hiccup thought, maintaining his calm. Inexperienced his follower might be, but they would surely notice if Hiccup gave a sign he knew they were there.

Stooping to examine some scars on a tree, in case they were markings used for a trapping spell, he adjusted the collar of his cloak and surreptisiously peeked over his shoulder. He could not see anyone, and there were no sounds; his follower had stopped when he had, watching him. He returned his gaze to the mark, but it looked like a squirrel had perhaps clawed at the tree, rather than a witch. Hiccup moved on.

He let the potential-witch trail him for hours. There would be no sense rushing the deed. The opportune moment would have to be seized, so while still tracking witches, he kept his eyes open for a good sharp turn in the forest, somewhere he could slip away and await his oblivious stalker.

Frustratingly, the sky was starting to get an orange glow, and the forest had thus far proffered no bends. He was just beginning to contemplate whirling around and surprising them that way, when at last he spotted a particularly large boulder nearby a damaged tree. Concealing his delight, he casually approached it and disappeared behind it, pleased to find plenty of foliage to hide his footprints.

He watched from his position as a figure finally appeared, dropping to the forest floor from a tree further back. Hiccup was startled; it was a boy, not much older than him, but a boy unlike any he had seen before. His hair was white, whiter than snow, and his skin was absurdly pale, closer to that of a corpse. If he were closer, he was sure he would see the boy's veins. The boy was fairly taller, certainly a good deal taller than Hiccup, and he was dressed in brown pants, stopping mid-way down his calves, and a white shirt, partially hidden by a short brown cloak. Curiously, despite the bitter chill in the air, he was barefoot, and he carried a wooden shepard's crook.

He was looking around him in confusion, obviously trying to see where his target had vanished to, and Hiccup crouched lower as the boy turned his way. His eyes struck him almost like a physical blow; they were _so blue_, and he was distracted enough he almost forgot to make his move.

Lunging out of his hiding place, he used his momentum to shove the boy against the damaged tree he'd noticed before, pinning him in place with one arm, and resting his dagger threateningly against the boy's pulse.

Ignoring the shock plastered over his face, he adjusted his position slightly, securing it in case the boy fought back. "What are you? I've never met a witch like you," Hiccup snarled, adding a little pressure to the blade. The boy backed up as far as he possibly could. "But you're not human either. And you're definitely not from around here."

"Okay, okay, just... just, put the knife down, it's making me really uncomfortable," he stammered, eyeing it anxiously.

Hiccup shrugged. "Shame, because it's making me feel a lot better actually. Stop dodging questions and maybe I'll let you go." Expression hardening, he demanded, "Who are you? And why were you following me?"

:{

A vast distance from Berk, there lived a girl in a tower. She had never left her tower in her eighteen years, for her mother was very insistent that she stay, that the world was much, much too cruel and too dangerous for someone so kind and compassionate. Not to mention, the girl, (whose name it should be noted, was Rapunzel) supposed, her magical hair would surely attract unwanted attention.

Though she wanted desperately to leave the tower often, she had never had cause to disobey her mother, and she had stayed reasonably contentedly in her room, peering out at the beautiful, unchanging view.

But today, today that would all change.

Now Rapunzel had read lots of books that her mother, Gothel, had brought her, about princesses being rescued from nasty situations by brave, dashing princes on bold steeds. She'd never desired that. Even if she had been in a bad situation - and she wasn't, even if she wanted more from it - well, she didn't think she'd be happy to let a prince come and do all the work. Damsel in distress she was not.

So if she was going to have to leave, she thought anxiously, well, at least it wasn't going to be with a prince. Or, anyone else, for that matter. This was a journey she would be making alone, and she was terrified, but determined.

What could give the obedient daughter cause to break the one golden rule, after eighteen years without disgression?

Gothel had left several days ago, and she had never returned.

This was extremely unsual, because Gothel was never gone for more than a few days if she could help it. She'd been quite reluctant to leave for three days once, and when she'd returned she'd been more run-down than usual. Gothel did so much for Rapunzel, and it took an obvious toll on the older-than-she-seemed lady. So Rapunzel was not bothered when her mother used her hair to rejuvinate herself. It seemed reasonable. After such a long time, Gothel would be in great need of the remedy.

But Rapunzel had delayed two extra days to be sure, because it was such a very important rule that she never leave. Gothel asked nothing more of her. She'd be heartbroken by Rapunzel's disobedience. It wasn't until she was down to the very last of her food that she finally broke. She'd packed what she had left into a basket, and looped her endless locks over the hook above her window, intending to use it as a rope.

Her only companion besides her mother, all these years, was a secret from Gothel herself. A chameleon who had wandered onto her window sill when she was a child with an injured leg. She'd nursed it back to health in secret, and the chameleon had chosen never to leave. She'd named him Pascal, and she did not abandon him now, rather tucking him into the basket, and sliding out onto the sill, peering worriedly down below her.

"I'm not sure I can do this Pascal," she murmured. "Maybe mother will be home tonight. What if she comes and finds I'm gone?"

Pascal chirped.

"I know... what if she _doesn't_?"

The creatures eyes rotated in every direction, and Rapunzel tried not to feel ignored. Pascal didn't actually understand her, after all, but it was hard not to treat him like he could when she had no one else to talk to. Instead, she took a deep, fortifying breath, and launched herself out of the window, squeezing her eyes closed as the wind rushed at her face.

She'd never fallen before, and though her hair was a perfectly functional rope, it was a shocking sensation. She pulled to a stop just above the ground, legs tucked up, and ignoring the slight pain the abrupt halt had caused her, she cautiously lowered her feet to the grass below, eyes widening at the soft feeling.

"Oh my god, Pascal! I'm... I'm outside! I'M OUTSIDE!" Shrieking in delight, she raced to the little stream nearby, dipping her feet into the cool water. "This is so weird. This is amazing!"

Setting the basket down beside her and plucking Pascal out, she continued, "But mother would be so furious... but she's not here, that's the point." Another deep breath. "I need to find her. Right. No time to mess around." Shouldering Pascal, she took the basket and stepped out onto the grass again, frowning when the blades stuck to her damp feet and itched slightly. But while there were a lot of new things she desperately wanted to do and to experience, she had to focus. Her mother would _never_ abandon her, which meant something had to have stopped her returning. Something possibly very bad.

She made for the little hollow entrance in the rock surrounding her seculded home, and pushed aside the leafy curtain...

Only to let it swing closed again, shaking with fear at what she had seen. And what she could now hear.

Outside her home, there were a huge number of enormous men and women, with armour and weapons - a lot of weapons. And they had deep, booming voices, and they were shouting a lot. Gods, they'd surely kill her! She shuddered, crouching low and hoping they hadn't noticed the movement of the leaves.

Fortunately, the group seemed very distracted and worried. "What is this land?" a commanding voice demanded.

"None of us knows Stoick. But it's going to delay our return journey. The ships are too damaged to set out now, and we're going to need fresh supplies."

"And your boy. We left him in charge. You think he can handle everything for so long unobserved?" the first voice, presumably belonging to Stoick, asked, much quieter now.

"Of course he can. He's been preparing for it even before your son disappeared. I know you cared about the boy, but even you must know he was never going to be chief."

There was a hushed argmument then, that Rapunzel couldn't make out. She wrapped her arms about herself, trying not to cry. If they didn't leave she would be stuck here! She'd never find her mother.

"Oh Pascal," she whispered, "what am I going to do now?"

:{

Jack could feel the tree bark solid against his back, and the cold threat of the dagger at his neck, and somewhat distractingly, he couldn't stop looking at Hiccup's eyes. They were a really spectacular colour. But now really, really wasn't the time to be admiring them.

Hiccup could _see_ him. It wasn't the first time this had happened, Jaime had believed in him first, but Hiccup was, what, fifteen? Sixteen? Beyond the age of belief, anyway. So it was a little surprising. If he'd known, he would've been more careful about following the kid.

There wasn't time for him to absorb this information however, because the other boy was growing impatient with his silence. The dagger probably couldn't kill him... but he'd bet it would still hurt. "Okay, there's no need for violence here. I'm not a bad guy... uh, I'm Jack Frost, I'm a Guardian." If Hiccup even knew what either of those things were.

Hiccup's (gorgeous, shut up Jack) eyes narrowed. "Jack Frost. The winter spirit, right?"

Jack blinked, startled. "You've heard of me?"

"There are plenty of stories about you out there. And frankly, none of them make me want to put this down," he gestured to the dagger with a slight incline of his head. "I don't know what you're a guardian of, but you'd better hope it's enough to stop me killing you now."

Jack swallowed thickly, hoping exactly that. The dagger was making him _really_ anxious now. "Of... children. Um. Guardians, we, we protect children. That's why I'm here... uh, and why I followed you - I overheard you're here about witches too, right? Thought you could help me. I didn't think you could see me, otherwise I'd have introduced myself."

"Why wouldn't I be able to see you?"

"Generally, people can't."

"Wow. Sucks to be you."

"Kind of, yeah."

"Well, I guess my sister and I keep an open mind... though I don't think I ever gave Jack Frost much thought." He shrugged. "So, protector of children... you've got my attention, for now." He lifted the dagger, gave it a twirl, and tucked it into his belt. Stepping back, he watched patiently as Jack caught his breath and relaxed. "You're here about the witches. You don't need to be. Merida and I can take it from here."

Now that he was being held at knife-point, Jack felt a little cocky. "Sure, sure."

Hiccup scowled. "We know what we're doing, we've dealt with this plenty of times before. I could've killed you just now."

Jack smirked. "Nah, you just caught me off guard. I could take you easily."

The brunette arched a brow. "Mm, yeah. What are you going to do, hit me with your big stick?"

There was an awkward silence for about three seconds, and then Jack burst out laughing, leaning on his staff and trying to stifle his amusement, while Hiccup grew very red in the face. "Yeah, very funny, what are you, five?" Hiccup muttered. "You know what I meant."

"Yeah, of course I do. You were very clear."

Hiccup opened his mouth, no doubt to unleash a biting remark, but the sound of a twig snapping had Jack instinctively shoving Hiccup behind him, taking a defensive stance. He didn't notice Hiccup rolling his eyes.

An arrow shot out of the trees in front of him, embedding into his staff, which Jack promptly converted into a shield. "What the hell!?" he yelped, as another arrow landed right below the first.

The red-haired girl Jack gathered was Merida emerged, bow at the ready, a fierce expression on her round face. "Step away from my brother," she snapped, "or the next one won't miss."

Jack glanced over his shoulder, taking in Hiccup's bored demeanour, and slowly sidled away. "You two have problems with shooting first and asking questions later," he taunted.

"Merida, what're you doing here? I thought we agreed to meet up..." Hiccup trailed off, taking note of the dimming light. "Oh. Guess I didn't show."

"Exactly. Who the hell is that?"

"Jack Frost," the boys replied in unison.

Merida blinked, but to her credit, she didn't lower her bow, and she quickly adapted to the situation. "What does Jack Frost want?"

"Just your brother's soul," Jack joked, "or hand in marriage, I'm not picky."

Merida glared, clearly not appreciating his sense of humour. "Hiccup. Give me a reason not to shoot him, because I am _really_ struggling to think of one."

Jack leaned on his staff, taking in Merida's appearance while she and her brother conferred. They couldn't really be siblings, he imagined, they didn't share any resemblance whatsoever. Merida had incredible curly red hair - really, that thing was like a burning bush. Her eyes were blue, like his, but lighter. What she did have in common with Hiccup were the smattering of freckles across her cheeks and nose. Jack privately wondered why he thought Hiccup's freckles were cuter.

"Fine. Okay," Merida turned to him, breaking him out of his thoughts, "like Hiccup's already told you, we can handle this. You can go."

Jack raised his eyebrows challengingly. "Why should I?"

"Because," the girl answered, raising her bow, "if you don't, I'm going to kill you. You don't have a great reputation, Frost."

"I'd like to see you try!" Jack crowed.

Merida released her arrow. Jack screamed in pain. "WHAT THE HELL, WOMAN?"

The red-head stared in shock at where her arrow pierced Jack's chest. "WHY AREN'T YOU DYING?" she screamed back at him.

Hiccup sighed.

:{

_Author's Note: They've met! Hooray! I'm sorry there wasn't more... but I ended up having another bad day, and it seemed like a good place to cut off. Next chapter there will actually be witches and hunting. Oh my god. It'll finally be a witch hunter au. Thanks to everyone for supporting, oh and especially Ria this chapter, because she solved the 'how do Hiccup and Jack meet' problem I was having with her incredible fan art. I hope Rapunzel comes across okay!_


End file.
